Cormyrean Wars
Overview The Cormyrean Wars was a series of five wars fought largely by the Commonwealth and Nerkin Empire over the Cormyral star system. The Cormyrean Wars are widely accepted as having occured in the years between 1200 AF and 1290 AF. The Cormyrean Wars was the Commonwealth's first interstellar war. The early parts of the Cormyrean Wars was characterized as crushing defeats and a disunified military for the Commonwealth, however towards the end of the conflict the Commonwealth came out on top and forced the Nerkin Empire to surrender. Background Many historians agree that the Commonwealth's discovery of the Nalloth race in the Cormyral star system, in 1178 AF, was a major contributing factor to the war. The Nalloth had a undeveloped civilization that was largely still in the stone age and competely unaware of the existance of life beyond its home planet. While the Commonwealth could have easily conquered the Nalloth, and many at the time argued that was exactly what they should do, it instead decided to watch over their development from afar. As the years passed the Cormyral system became widely viewed as within the Commonwealth's sphere of influence. Commonwealth expansion at the time was immense. The number of colonized planets increased by four between 1180 and 1190, during which the colonies' populations doubled in size each year. The Ainrofilac star system quickly became the center of Commonwealth expansion. The Commonwealth wasn't the only country expanding in the region. The Nerkin Empire was also aggressively expanding at a rate comparable to the Commonwealth's. As Nerkin colonies began to form in Ainrofilac it quickly became apparent that the two countries had conflict interestes. Unlike the Commonwealth, however, the Nerkin were quite interested in colonizing Cormyral. In 1195 AF the Nerkin Empire began a massive colonization initiative in Cormyral, ignoring the Commonwealth's sphere of influence. Both countries moved their fleets into the star system to protect their interests in the region. Things finally came to a head in 1201 AF when a Commonwealth team of civilian scientists observing the Nalloth were attacked by a Nerkin Empire corvette. The Commonwealth sent an ultimatum that, at its core, demanded the Nerkin withdrawal from the Ainrofilac and Cormyral star systems. Beginning of the War: 1201 - 1220 AF Outbreak and the Battle of the Intoul Belt The Nerkin response to the Commonwealth's ultimatum was immediate and violent. Two days after the ultimatum was sent Nerkin forces engaged a Commonwealth flotilla stationed at the Intoul Belt. The Belt was startegically important as it effectively cut the inner four planets of the Cormyral system off from the outer two. It was also an important mining base for both countries. The fighting was fierce, but the Commonwealth flotilla was outnumbered two to one. In the end the Commonwealth lost three frigates, with another two badly damaged. With such devistating loses the Commonwealth Navy was forced to cede the Intoul Belt, and effectively the inner system, to Nerkin forces. The Invasion of Ouffene Within the month the Commonwealth had been completely forced out of the Cormyral system, leaving the Nalloth homeworld of Ouffene completely open to invasion. The Nalloth had no means to repel the invasion and were quickly subjugated by the Nerkin invasion force. The Battle for Alluel The Alluel system would prove to be the Nerkin's primary target for the rest of the first war. The bulk of the Commonwealth Navy was stationed there and the system's major colony world, Treyart, served as a major supply station for the navy. Nerkin offensives in this region were quick and brutal. The main intent of these attacks was to simply keep the Commonwealth navy in place so that it could not launch an attack on the Cormyral system. The Nerkin attacks did exactly that. the threat of invasion proved to be more than enough to cause the constituent governments of the Commonwealth to hold back their respective portions of the navy. Also damage done to the ships and facilities of the navy during the attacks largely immobilized the navy. Temporary Peace In 1220 AF the Commonwealth approached the Nerkin Empire with the prospect of peace. An armistance was immediately called upon and the two nations gathered diplomatic parties to send to a prospective peace conference. While the peace conference ended up being a failure, as the Nerkin Empire desired territory from the Commonwealth that it was not keen on surrendering, the talks delayed the war long enough to stagnate it for a time. Duerun's Offensive: 1230 - 1248 AF Peace Breaks Down The armistance between the Commonwealth and Nerkin Empire had held strong, amazingly enough, for eight years before tensions began to rise again. Turmoil within Nerkin would prove to be what ultimately broke the armistance. In 1228 AF the Nerkin emperor became ill and could no longer directly rule. His son was far too long to take control, thus power came to rest in the hands of the bureaucracy. Numerous bureaucrates fought for power, assassinations became the norm. Amongst the turmoil a seemingly unimportant accountant by the name of Duerun quickly ascended to power, gaining the trust of the emperor. When the emperor finally succombed to his illness, many believe he was posioned by Duerun, in 1229 AF Duerun had almost complete control of the country. The next day the emperor's son was assassinated by Duerun's orders. In 1230 AF Duerun proclaimed himself emperor of the Nerkin Empire and ordered a massive military campaign against the Commonwealth. The Alluel Campaign Once again Alluel became the primary target for Nerkin attacks, only this time the goal was conquest. The Nerkin Navy's 7th fleet, under the command of Admiral Gimad, was tasked with the conquest of the entire Alluel system. In Early 1231 AF the Nerkin 7th Fleet came into combat with the Commonwealth 1st Fleet at the outskirts of the Alluel system. The battle lasted for three days and resulted in a major victory for the Nerkin Empire, in the process proving that they held a signifigant technological advantage of the Commonwealth. Taking advantage of the 1st Fleet's haphazard retreat, Gimad advanced the 7th Fleet straight to Treyart and began invasion operations. A desperate battle in the skies and cities of Treyart began as the Commonwealth Army found itself isolated and without the naval support they were expecting. The Commonwealth Army took signifigant loses at Treyart early on. Nerkin forces quickly obtained control of the planet's main launch pads and supply depots. Despite the loses Commonwealth troops dug in and prepared for a long fight. The use of new tactics and knowledge of the terrain allowed the Commonwealth troops to hold on while the navy prepared a counter offensive. Operation Renewed Vigor While the Commonwealth Army fought desperately to halt Nerkin forces on the soil of Treyart, the navy was preparing a counterattack that would hopefully push the Nerkin 7th Fleet out of Alluel. Dubbed Operation Renewed Vigor the plan had three phases. First the remnants of the 1st Fleet would combine forces with the 3rd Fleet and begin skirmishes with the Nerkin 7th Fleet. While this was happening the 2nd and 5th Fleets would sneak into the system and begin the installation of planetary defense cannons in the asteroid belt. In the second phase the 5th Fleet would circle around the system and emerge from the belt on the opposite side of where the defense cannons where installed. It would then work with the 1st and 3rd Fleets to push the Nerkin forces towards the belt. Finally all four Commonwealth fleets would openly engage the Nerkin 7th Fleet once it was in range of hte defense cannons. The operation begain in late 1231 AF and took three months to complete phases one and two. The Commonwealth navy was able to lure the 7th Fleet into range of the planetary defense cannons, where a brutal battle commenced. The battle lasted for three months, with neither side willing or able to admit defeat. Finally after losing a quarter of his forces Admiral Gimad ordered the 7th Fleet to withdraw from the Alluel system, leaving two millions soldiers on Treyart behind. Operation Renewed Vigor had been a succuss, but it was a phyrric victory in many regards. The Commonwealth Navy lost half of its ships present during the operation and over fifteen million soldiers had lost their lives on Treyart, not to mention another twenty-one million badly wounded or dieing civilians. Despite the signifigant loses Operation Renewed Vigor proved to the citizens of the Commonwealth that they could defeat the Nerkin Empire. Alternatively the lose of the 7th Fleet, once thought to be invincible, proved to irreparably damage moral amongst in the Nerkin military. Operation Hellbent Victory While battered, the Nerkin 7th Fleet was far from defeated. The 7th Fleet was quickly repaired and reinforced and was fully operational again in short order. In 1235 AF, under direct orders from Duerun, the Nerkin 1st and 7th Fleets departed for the Femna system under Amdiral Gimad's command. Concoted by Duerun himself, Operation Hellbent Victory was a campaign to directly bomb Carth, with the intention of saping the industrial, military, and moral strength out of the Commonwealth. The combined Nerkin Fleets quickly made contact with the Commonwealth's 1st, 5th, and 8th Fleets. Early on in the engagement the Commonwealth's flagship was destroyed, killing the overall commander and Admiral of the 1st Fleet in the process. Overall command rested with Admiral Avis Azor of the 8th Fleet who suddenly became the highest ranked Valyncian in the navy. Admiral Azor quickly proved herself to Gimad's superior in terms of tactics, however the Commonwealth force was plagued by a still massive technological gap and division in its military. Even after recieving reinforcements from the Alluel system the combined Commonwealth force was gradually pushed back until the battle became one for dominance of Carth's skies. Nerkin squadrons spearheaded massive bombing raids; raids which the Commonwealth was illequipped to deal with. The bombings lasted for four months before Admiral Azor was able to cut the Nerkin's supply lines and force them to retreat from the system. The bombings had done terrible damage to Carth's infrastructure. Trillions of dollars worth of damage to personal property, signifigant damage to military bases, and factories were completely turned to rubble. What disturbed the public the most, however, was what the bombings had done to the Underworld. The bombings had blown massive holes, now new entrances, into the upper layers of the Underworld. These proved to be the perfect exits for the monstrosities released due to damage from the bombings. Of particular note were the Forlorn, who were released in great numbers and increased as they infected the population. It would take the Commonwealth decades to finish clean up operations on Carth. While a tactical victory for the Nerkin Empire, Operation Hellbent Victory caused a rally around the flag syndrome in the Carthians. It also proved that the Commonwealth needed to fully unify its military if it wanted to win the war. The Ipeffit Campaign Under Admiral Azor's command, the Ipeffit Campaign would prove to be the Commonwealth's greatest mobilization of troops in history. It was a massive undertaking that had two distinct goals: the liberation of Cormyral and the capturing of the Ipeffit system. The Birth of Ithica The first step to the liberation of Cormyral was the creation of a forward base of operations that the Nerkin Empire was unaware of. The Shuort system proved to be perfect for a hidden base. In 1237 AF construction of shipyards and military facilities in orbit around a planet later named Ithica began. The construction work was finished in 1240 AF and by 1245 AF the first fully united Commonwealth fleet was finished. While the new 1st Fleet was being constructed the Commonwealth was delt a number of crushing defeats in the Alluel system, causing some to fear the war would be over before Admiral Azor's plan could come together. Operation Resuscitated Hope The liberation of Cormyral would be the new 1st Fleet's first test. In 1245 AF Operation Resuscitated Hope began. A combined force of the 1st, 3rd, and 8th Fleets left Ithica and launched a surprise attack on Nerkin naval forces stationed on Cormyral. The Nerkin defenses were centered around the legendary 7th Fleet, which had been preparing a second offensive against Carth. While the 1st and 3rd Fleets combated the Nerkin Navy, the 8th Fleet conducted invasion operations. The fighting on the ground proved to be just as harsh as in space as Commonwealth and Nerkin ground forces fought for every inch of soil. The Nalloth fought on both sides of the conflict, supporting one side or another although both seemed quickly alien and untrustworthy. The battle for Cormyral would be waged in space and on the ground for ten years before the Commonwealth obtained victory. Operation Falling from Grace Started in 1246 AF, the year after the victory at Cormyral, the Commonwealth launched one last major offensive against the Nerkin Empire. Commonwealth forces stationed at Ithica and Cormyral launched a pincer attack on Ipeffit. The battle for dominance of Ipeffit would be waged for one year with no clear victor in sight. While the operation was a failure, it was the first time the Commonwealth had forced the Nerkin to defend its own territory. Duerun's Fall From Power Shaken by how close the war had come to home, the Nerkin people began to revolt in early 1246 AF. By the end of Operation Falling from Grace it became clear that Duerun could not maintain power and the Nerkin military elite had him forcibly removed. With Duerun's removal from power the Commonwealth was more than happy to sign a second armistance. Resumption of the War Under the Military Junta: 1255 - 1271 AF The military leaders spet the next decade following Duerun's fall to consoldate power for the new military junta. It didn't take long for the Nerkin Empire to turn its attention back on Cormyral, which it viewed as being rightfully its. On 1255 AF the Nerkin Empire sent two fleets to subjugate the Cormyral system. The Second Battle for Cormyral Situated right between the warring states, Commonwealth and Nalloth leaders both realized that Cormyral was the most likely site of future battles. A massive defense of planetary cannons had been set up in the event that hostilities start up again. They soon were put to the test when in 1256 AF, Nerkin forces broke through the Commonwealth Navy's defense line and headed towards the Nalloth homeworld. The defense cannons worked perfectly, dealing signifigant damage to the Nerkin ground forces before they even touched down. The remaning Nerkin invasion force were massacred by Commonwealth equipped Nalloth troops. Low Intensity Warfare Following the debacle of the second battle for Cormyral, the Nerkin military was reluctant to risk weakening its forces any further. Fear of a second invasion of Ipeffit held much of the Nerkin navy back. The Commonwealth on the other hand suffered from a severe shortage of equipment necessary to conduct a large scale invasion of Nerkin territory. The two sides would resort to conducting small raids for the next twenty years. Minor skirmishes were the norm, however, as both sides were not keen on the idea of allowing their enemy to rest. Commonwealth Ascendency: 1272 - 1290 AF Things would take a turn at the start of the 1270s as the government underwent a propoganda campaign to encourage civilian support of the war. At first the propoganda actually seemed to backfire, but by 1278 public support for the war was at an all time high. Taxes and recruitment were both raised as the Commonwealth prepared for an invasion of the Nerkin capital. During this time the Ithica shipyards doubled in size, allowing for the creation of a whole new fleet during the 1270s as well. The Second Ipeffit Campaign Finally in 1280 AF the Commonwealth Navy was ready to undertake a massive offensive. The Second Ipeffit Campaign was spearheaded by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd navies, each of which were made up of the latest ships in the navy. When the Commonwealth force engaged Nerkin ships at Ipeffit it immediately became clear. For the first time since the conflict had started the Commonwealth had superior technology. Even with the technolgoical advantage was not to such a degree that the Commonwealth had no issue fighting the Nerkin. In fact it took until 1285 AF for the Commonwealth to gain the needed space dominance to begin a ground invasion. Ground combat in Ipeffit would continue until the war's end in 1290 AF. End of the War The war had put a huge strain on the Nerkin economy and available manpower. By the mid-1280s it had become clear that the Nerkin Empire was falling behind technology. A series of devistating defeats at Ipeffit proved too much for the Nerkin people. In 1288 they once again rose up in open revolt. Finally in 1290 AF the military junta stepped down from power and allowed for a free election to determine the new ruler. The newly elected civilian government immediately set up an armistace with the Commonwealth and engaged in peace talks. The Commonwealth's stance was simple. The Nerkin Empire would pay reparations to both the Commonwealth and Nalloth as well as reduce its standing army and navy to a quarter of their size. The Nerkin representatives were outraged, but the possibility of a renewed war with the Commonwealth was too much for the Nerkin people, forcing the new government to accept the terms. Signifigance The Cormyrean Wars proved that the new, at the start of the conflict, Commonwealth government could withstand the stress of an interstellar conflict. More imporantly the conflict served to strengthen the unified government, forcing the unification of the armed forces and giving the Commonwealth people a unified goal. It also resulted in the construction of the Ithica shipyards, which would form the core of the Commonwealth economy after the conflict. Interestingly enough it also served to effectively end the Commonwealth's expansion and cause its government to become far more cautious in international affairs. The Nalloth had been technologically catapulted from the stone age to post-information age and became new, if not minor, players in the regional community. Despite this it would grow to become xenophobic and eventually withdraw into a self imposed isolation. The Nerkin Empire effecitvely stopped being a regional power due to its defeat. Its cripled economy and military could no longer support its previous expansion. Interestingly enough its new democratic government would prove to be quite conductive towards the expansion of Nerkin arts. However it would eventually be replaced by a dictator due to weakness caused by the poor economy. Category:The Commonwealth Category:The Cormyrean Republic Category:The Nerkin Empire